The rapid increase in the production of particle boards, flake boards and fiber boards, especially medium density fiber boards (in the following also abbreviated MDF boards), during the last decades has created a demand for adhesives that are inexpensive, available in large quantities, and independent of crude oil. Lignin meets well these requirements, and it does not contain any formaldehyde, which traditionally has been considered a serious problem with conventional urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesives. As a major wood component, native lignin is neither hygroscopic nor soluble in water. Because of its structure as a polyphenol, lignin as an adhesive should be similar to phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins. This is true for native lignin in wood, while technical lignins (lignosulphonate or kraft lignin) have been shown to have serious limitations due to their low reactivity (kraft lignin) or due to their high hygroscopicity. Furthermore, during technical pulping lignin becomes soluble in water, due to degradation and chemical changes.
The use of spent sulphite liquor (SSL) as an adhesive for paper, wood and other ligno-cellulosic materials is well-known in the art, and a large number of patent applications has been filed during the last three decades for the use of lignin products as adhesives for particle board, plywood and fiber board instead of conventional PF or UF adhesives. Reference is made to DE Patents Nos. 3 037 992, 3 621 218, 3 933 279, 4 020 969, 4 204 793 and 4 306 439 and PCT Applications published under Nos. WO 93/25622, WO 94/01488, WO 95/23232 and WO 96/03546.
The main drawback of using SSL as an adhesive for fiber board manufacture is its hygroscopicity.
It has been shown that laccase enzymes and other peroxidases can be used as polymerization or curing catalysts of lignin (DE Patent No. 3 037 992, WO 96/03546). However, the enzymes for creating radical reactions have shown limited success so far. Fibers and wood chips used in the production of the fiber board contain 5-20% water and the laccases used need some water to effectively catalyze the polymerization reaction needed for extensive bonding of the fiberboard. Kraft lignin like native lignin to its major part is, however, insoluble in water and thus two solid phases are formed on the production line. An uneven distribution of the solids cause spotting and major failure in the strength properties of the board formed in the pressing stage.
A further problem relating to the use of isolated lignin is the high price of kraft lignin, which is near the limit for economical production of particle boards.
For the above mentioned reasons, lignin-based board production processes have not, so far, led to any major practical applications.
Instead of lignin-based adhesives, it has been suggested to activate the lignin of wood fibers with laccase and to use these fibers as such without any additional binders for manufacturing wood fiber boards (cf. EP Patent Application No. 0 565 109). The main problem relating to said technology is the long incubation time required (up to seven days or even more).
Components derived from annual plant materials, such as feruloylarabinoxylans, can also be used as additives for adhesives in particle boards. Thus, according to Feldman et al. (WO 96/03546) wood fibers and chips can be bonded together using an oxidized phenolic polysaccharide. These xylans occur only in annual plants, not in softwood or hardwood materials. They are not industrially available.